Toddler swing

ABSTRACT

A swing includes a swing seat having a front wall portion containing apertures for receiving the legs of a user, a back wall portion, side wall portions extending between and integrally connecting the front and back wall portions, and a bottom wall portion extending between and integrally connecting the front, back, and side wall portions. The swing seat is made of plastic that is injection molded into a final swing seat shape suitable for receiving a user for swinging. At least a portion of the swing seat is pliable after being molded into the final swing seat shape.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to children's swings, and more particularly toswings designed for use by toddlers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are numerous types of swings used by children on swing sets orplaystations. Older children often ride swings that have the swing seatconstructed of a flexible belt connected between two chains. Other swingseats are more rigid and provide a generally flat seating surface. Thesetypes of swing seats are suitable for older children who can supporttheir bodies in an upright position while sitting and swinging. However,younger children (e.g., toddlers) typically require a swing seat thatoffers more support and that more securely retains the toddlers in theswing seat.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Prior art toddler swings have been designed to offer the additionalsupport needed for toddlers, but are usually uncomfortable for thetoddler. Many prior art toddler swings are made of hard, rigid plastic.Often, these swings include separate, rigid plastic retaining bars thatform a detachable portion of the swing for securing the toddler withinthe swing. Others prior art toddler swings are made of a more flexibleplastic material that is molded around a metal insert. The metal insertstiffens the flexible plastic such that the toddler seat is rigid anduncomfortable.

The invention provides an improved toddler swing that provides thesupport a toddler needs to ride the swing, while providing a smooth,comfortable ride for the toddler. The toddler swing is made of aflexible plastic material selected and ergonomically formed tocomfortably match and conform to the contouring of the toddler's legs,rear, and back. Added stiffening of the generally flexible toddler swingis accomplished by molding the plastic resin material of the swing toinclude integral stiffening features. No rigid metal inserts are neededto achieve added stiffening of the swing in selected regions.

To further improve the support and positioning of the toddler in thetoddler swing, the swing is designed to be hung such that the swingmounts lie in a generally horizontal plane. With this configuration, thetoddler swing and the toddler riding the toddler swing are in a reclinedposition, thereby comfortably supporting the toddler.

More specifically, the invention provides a swing including a swing seathaving a front wall portion containing apertures for receiving the legsof a user, a back wall portion, side wall portions extending between andintegrally connecting the front and back wall portions, and a bottomwall portion extending between and integrally connecting the front,back, and side wall portions. The swing seat is made of plastic that isinjection molded into a final swing seat shape suitable for receiving auser for swinging. Furthermore, at least a portion of the swing seat ispliable after being molded into the final swing seat shape.

In one aspect of the invention, at least one of the wall portions iscapable of conforming substantially to the shape of a portion of auser's body. In another aspect of the invention, the wall portions ofthe swing seat have a substantially uniform thickness. In yet anotheraspect of the invention, the side wall portions are spaced apart by afirst generally horizontal distance adjacent the bottom wall portion andare spaced apart by a second generally horizontal distance that isgreater than the first distance at a point vertically spaced from thebottom wall portion. In a further aspect of the invention, the frontwall portion and the back wall portion are spaced apart by a firstgenerally horizontal distance adjacent the bottom wall portion and arespaced apart by a second generally horizontal distance that is greaterthan the first distance at a point vertically spaced from the bottomwall portion.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent tothose skilled in the art upon review of the following detaileddescription, claims, and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toddler swing embodying the inventionconnected to a swing set or playstation.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the toddler swing of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a partial top view of the toddler swing of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a partial top view similar to FIG. 3, but shown with portionsof the toddler swing conforming generally to the shape of the user'sbody.

FIG. 5 is a section view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged partial section view of the toddler swing showinga mounting insert.

FIG. 7 is a section view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 3.

Before one embodiment of the invention is explained in detail, it is tobe understood that the invention is not limited in its application tothe details of construction and the arrangements of the components setforth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Theinvention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced orbeing carried out in various ways. Also, it is understood that thephraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including”, “having” and “comprising” and variations thereof herein ismeant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereofas well as additional items.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-7 illustrate a toddler swing assembly 10 of the presentinvention. With reference to FIG. 1, the toddler swing assembly 10 isshown connected to a swing set or playstation 14, but can also bemounted to other suitable support structures. The playstation 14includes a generally horizontal support beam 18 from which hangingelements such as chains 22 depend. Any suitable mounting methods can beused for connecting the chains 22 to the support beam 18. Of course,other types of hanging elements (e.g., swing hangers, cables, ropes,etc.) can be used in place of the chains 22.

In the illustrated embodiment, the toddler swing assembly 10 ispre-assembled with a pair of hanging elements in the form of chainassemblies 26 that interconnect with the chains 22 in order to quickly,easily, and interchangeably connect the toddler swing 10 to theplaystation 14. Alternatively, the chain assemblies 26 can be connecteddirectly to swing hangers (not shown) coupled to the horizontal supportbeam 18. More specifically, each chain assembly 26 includes two chainsegments 30 that are coupled together at one end and that are coupled tothe toddler swing 10 at the other ends, as will be described in detailbelow. In the illustrated embodiment, a substantial portion of eachchain segment 30 is chain that is coated with a plastic material suchthat the chain links are generally fixed with respect to one another andsuch that the metal chain is not exposed. Each chain assembly 26 furtherincludes an interconnecting chain segment 34 that is coupled to thecoupled ends of the respective chain segment 30. Each interconnectingchain segment 34 can be connected to a respective chain 22 using aquick-link chain connector 38 or via other suitable connection methods.While various other chain configurations can be used to mount thetoddler swing assembly 10 to the playstation 14, the illustratedconfiguration provides a quick and easy system for interchangeablysecuring the toddler swing assembly 10 to the playstation 14.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, the toddler swing assembly 10further includes a swing seat 42 having a front wall portion 46containing apertures 50 for receiving the legs of a user 54 (see FIG.5), a back wall portion 58, side wall portions 62, and a bottom wallportion 66. The swing seat 42 is integrally formed of plastic that isinjection molded into the configuration illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, and5, such that the side wall portions 62 extend between and integrallyconnect the front wall portion 46 and the back wall portion 58, and suchthat the bottom wall portion 66 extends between and integrally connectsthe front wall portion 46, the back wall portion 58, and the side wallportions 62. Unlike some prior art toddler swings, the swing seat 42 canbe injection molded to its final, functional form without requiringadditional forming or fastening together of portions of the swing seat42. No fasteners (e.g., rivets) are required to form the swing seat 42into its final, functioning configuration in which a user 54 can sit andswing. In addition, no separate restraining bars or similar structuralmembers are needed to complete the swing seat 42.

The swing seat 42 is injection molded from a thermoplastic olefin (TPO)material having a durometer hardness ranging from about 40 to about 42on the D scale. In the illustrated embodiment, the TPO material used hasa product designation ADFLEX V109F and is available from BasellPolyolefins of Elkton, Md. Also in the illustrated embodiment, the TPOmaterial has a durometer hardness of about 41 on the D scale. This TPOmaterial results in a pliable swing seat 42 having portions that arecapable of substantially conforming in shape to the shape of portions ofthe user's body.

For example, FIG. 3 illustrates a partial top view of the swing seat 42when no user 54 is present. Notice the shape or contour of the back wallportion 58. FIG. 4 illustrates the same view of the swing seat 42 whenthe swing seat 42 is occupied by a toddler 54. As seen in FIG. 4, theweight of the toddler 54 causes at least some of the back wall portion58 to deform from the shape illustrated in FIG. 3, and to conformsubstantially to the shape or curvature of the toddler's back andshoulder region. As the back wall portion 58 conforms to the shape ofthe toddler 54, the side wall portions 62 may be drawn closer togetherto further conform substantially to the torso and hip region of thetoddler 54 (see FIG. 5). Of course, the degree to which portions of theseat conform to the shape of the user's body will depend on the size andweight of the user 54. Nonetheless, the ability of the swing seat 42 toconform substantially to the shape of a portion of the user's body meansthat the swing seat 42 is more comfortable and secure than prior arttoddler swings made of rigid plastics that will not readily conform tothe contours of a user's body.

In addition to material selection, the material thickness alsocontributes to the pliability of the swing seat 42. With reference toFIGS. 5 and 7, it can be seen that with the exception of portions of theside wall portions 62 in the vicinity of where the chain segments 30attach to the swing seat 42, the wall portions 46, 58, 62, and 66 allhave a substantially uniform thickness T₀ ranging from about 5 mm toabout 7 mm. In the illustrated embodiment, the thickness T₀ is about 6.3mm.

While the wall portions 46, 58, 62, and 66 are relatively pliable toprovide a comfortable and somewhat form-fitting swing seat 42, there areareas of the swing seat 42 that include integrally molded stiffeningfeatures. For example, as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 5, the front wallportion 46 includes an upper edge 70 where the TPO material is moldedinto a rolled-over lip 74 that stiffens the front wall portion 46. Therolled-over lip 74 is sized and configured to minimize the ability ofthe side wall portions 62 to move toward one another immediatelyadjacent the front wall portion 46. The rolled-over lip 74 further addsto the comfort of the swing seat 42 by providing a smooth rolled-oversurface where a toddler 54 may rest his arms or hands during swinging.

Still referring to FIGS. 2 and 6, the side wall portions 62 also includerespective upper edges 78 where the TPO material is molded into arolled-over lip 82 that stiffens each side wall portion 62. Therolled-over lips 82 are sized and configured to minimize the ability ofthe front wall portion 46 and the back wall portion 58 to move towardone another immediately adjacent the side wall portions 62. In theillustrated embodiment, the upper edges 78 are recessed or concave inthe areas of the rolled-over lips 82 to provide a smooth rolled-oversurface where a toddler 54 may rest his arms, elbows, or hands whileswinging.

The integrally-formed, rolled-over lips 74 and 82 provide stiffening toselect areas of the swing seat 42 without the need for separate,insert-molded stiffening materials (e.g., metal plates or metal bands)that are commonly used with other prior art toddler swings. In fact, theswing seat 42 includes no reinforcing inserts in any of the front wallportion 46, the back wall portion 58, and the bottom wall portion 66.Rather, the wall portions 46, 58, and 66 are completely andhomogeneously formed from only the TPO material, making the swing seat42 more comfortable than prior art toddler swings with stiffeninginserts in areas of the swing that are regularly in contact with theuser (e.g., the backrest area, the rear-end and leg support area, andthe waist and leg hole areas).

In addition to material selection and material thickness as contributingfactors to the overall comfort provided by the swing seat 42, otheraspects of the swing seat 42 have been ergonomically designed for thecomfort and support of the user 54. With reference to FIG. 5, the backwall portion 58 includes a curved region 86 designed to conform to thecontour and curvature of the user's lower back region. The bottom wallportion 66 also includes a curved region 90 designed to conform to thecontour and curvature of the user's rear-end and upper leg region. Asbest shown in FIGS. 2, 5, and 6, the front wall portion 46 also includesa curved region 94 between the leg apertures 50 that provides a smoothguide surface for the user's legs as the user 54 is inserted into theswing seat 42. The curved region 94 in the front wall portion 46 canalso function like the rolled-over lips 74 and 82 to stiffen the area ofthe front wall portion 46 between the leg apertures 50.

Yet another feature of the swing seat 42 that contributes to the comfortand support of the user 54 is the taper or draft angle designed into theswing seat 42. This feature also facilitates the injection moldingprocess and results in the ability of multiple swing seats 42 to benested within one another for packaging. FIG. 2 illustrates the taperdesigned into the swing seat 42 such that the distance between the sidewall portions 62 increases in a direction from the bottom wall portion66 toward the upper edge 70 of the front wall portion and toward anupper edge 98 of the back wall portion 58. Specifically, at a generallyhorizontal plane P₁ adjacent the bottom wall portion 66, the side wallportions 62 are spaced apart by a generally horizontal distance D₁ thatis less than a distance D₂ measured at a generally horizontal plane P₂that is spaced vertically (upwardly in FIG. 2) from the bottom wallportion 66 and the plane P₁.

Likewise, as shown in FIG. 5, the swing seat 42 is designed with a taperor draft angle such that the distance between the front wall portion 46and the back wall portion 58 increases in a direction from the bottomwall portion 66 toward the upper edge 70 of the front wall portion andtoward the upper edge 98 of the back wall portion 58. Specifically, at agenerally horizontal plane P₃ adjacent the bottom wall portion 66, thefront wall portion 46 and the back wall portion 58 are spaced apart by agenerally horizontal distance D₃ that is less than a distance D₄measured at a generally horizontal plane P₄ that is spaced vertically(upwardly in FIG. 5) from the bottom wall portion 66 and the plane P₃.

The tapering of the swing seat 42 as previously described enhances thecomfort and support of the user by offering a snug fit for the user'srear-end and legs adjacent the bottom wall portion 66, while providingmore room toward the upper edges 70, 98 that allows the user 54 to shiftand move his upper body and arms more easily. At its widest point in theillustrated embodiment (see FIG. 2), the swing seat 42 has a width Wbetween the side wall portions 62 of about 331 mm. At its deepest pointin the illustrated embodiment (see FIG. 5), the swing seat 42 has adepth D between the front wall portion 46 and the back wall portion 58of about 426 mm. At its approximate tallest point in the illustratedembodiment (see FIG. 5), the swing seat 42 has a height H between thebottom wall portion 66 and the top of the rivets 26 of about 310 mm.Based on these dimensions, the swing seat 42 has a ratio of maximumwidth to maximum depth of about 1:1.3, a ratio of maximum width tomaximum height of about 1.1:1, and a ratio of maximum height to maximumdepth of about 1:1.4. These exemplary dimensions and ratios result inthe swing seat 42 being sufficiently sized and configured to fully andproperly support a toddler 54 for comfortable swinging.

The side wall portions 62 of the swing seat 42 include mounting portions102 where the last link of each of the four respective chain segments 30is connected to the swing seat 42. As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, themounting portions 102 include reinforcing inserts 106, made of plasticor other suitable materials, that are insert-molded into the side wallportions 62 during the injection molding of the swing seat 42. Theinserts 106 can take any suitable form, and in the illustratedembodiment, include a body portion 110 defining a bore 114, and legportions 118 that extend from the body portion 110. Projections 122extend from the leg portions 118 and offer additional surface area toimprove the bond between the TPO material and the plastic inserts 106.

As shown in FIG. 6, the last link of the chain segment 30 is coupled tothe swing seat 42 via a rivet 126 that passes through the bore 114 ofthe insert 106. The illustrated rivet 126 is known as a blind rivet andis available from Cherrymate Fastening Systems of Stanfield, N.C. aspart number BALM-8BP-12. While other suitable fasteners or fasteningsystems may be used, the illustrated rivet 126 provides a quality,permanent connection between the chain segments 30 and the swing seat42.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the mounting portions 102 of the side wallportions 62 have an overall thickness T₁ that is greater than thethickness T₀ of the remainder of the wall portions 46, 58, 62, and 66.The thickness T₁ ranges from about 7 mm to about 9 mm. In theillustrated embodiment, the thickness T₁ is about 8.5 mm. The slightlyincreased thickness T₁ accounts for the insert 102 and for the minimumlength of the rivet 126 in order to achieve a tight fit between theriveted chain link and the mounting portion 102.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the toddler swing assembly 10 is designed tobe connected to the playstation 14 such that all of the mountingportions 102, and more specifically all of the rivets 126, lie in asubstantially horizontal plane P_(h) (see FIG. 5) This is achieved bydesigning the chain assemblies 26 such that the chain segments 30 havethe appropriate lengths (i.e., the appropriate numbers of chain links).With the mounting portions 102 lying generally in the horizontal planeP_(h), the swing seat 42 hangs and swings in the position illustrated inFIG. 5, wherein the back wall portion 58 is reclined to an angle rangingfrom about twenty-five degrees to about forty-five degrees with respectto a vertical plane PV passing through the bottom wall portion 66. Thisreclined orientation of the back wall portion 58 with respect tovertical provides good support for even the youngest users 54, who maynot otherwise be able to fully support their heads and upper bodies in amore upright position while sitting or swinging.

Additionally, this four-point mounting arrangement provides stability tothe swing seat 42, especially during swinging. The location of therivets 126 with respect to the back wall portion 58 and the bottom wallportion 66 has been determined using anthropometric center-of-gravitydata available for users of typical size and weight ranges.

Referring now to FIGS. 3-5, the swing seat 42 further includes aperturesin the form of slots 130 in the bottom wall portion 66. As illustratedin FIG. 5, the slots 130 are located substantially at the lowest portionof the bottom wall portion 66 such that any water accumulating in theswing seat 42 will drain through the slots 130. The slots 130 can alsoreceive a strap set 134 (see FIG. 3) for securing the user 54 in theswing seat 42. In the illustrated embodiment, the strap set includes afirst strap 138 with a first connector portion 140, and a second strap142 with a second connector portion 144. The connector portions 140 and144 mate in a conventional manner to secure the straps 138 and 142around the user 54. Other suitable securing devices similar to theillustrated strap set 134 can also be substituted.

Various features of the invention are set forth in the following claims.

1. A swing comprising: a swing seat having a front wall portioncontaining apertures for receiving the legs of a user; a back wallportion; side wall portions extending between and integrally connectingthe front and back wall portions; and a bottom wall portion extendingbetween and integrally connecting the front, back, and side wallportions; wherein the swing seat is made of plastic that is injectionmolded into a final swing seat shape suitable for receiving a user forswinging; and wherein at least a portion of the swing seat is pliableafter being molded into the final swing seat shape.
 2. The swing ofclaim 1, wherein at least one of the wall portions is capable ofconforming substantially to the shape of a portion of a user's body. 3.The swing of claim 1, wherein the wall portions of the swing seat have asubstantially uniform thickness.
 4. The swing seat of claim 3, whereinthe wall portions of the swing seat have a thickness ranging from about5 mm to about 9 mm.
 5. The swing of claim 1, wherein the front wallportion includes an upper edge where the plastic is molded into arolled-over lip to stiffen the front wall portion.
 6. The swing of claim1, wherein each side wall portion includes an upper edge where theplastic is molded into a rolled-over lip to stiffen the side wallportion.
 7. The swing of claim 1, wherein each of the front wallportion, the back wall portion, and the bottom wall portion is free ofany reinforcing inserts made from material different from the plastic.8. The swing of claim 1, wherein the side wall portions include mountingportions with reinforcing inserts molded into the plastic.
 9. The swingof claim 1, wherein the side wall portions include mounting portions,and wherein the swing further comprises: hanging elements connected tothe mounting portions and configured to be secured to a supportstructure such that each of the mounting portions on the side wallportions lie in a substantially horizontal plane.
 10. The swing of claim9, wherein the hanging elements are riveted to the mounting portions.11. The swing of claim 1, wherein the plastic is thermoplastic olefin.12. The swing of claim 1, wherein the bottom wall portion includes apair of apertures, and wherein the swing further comprises: a strap setextending through the apertures, the strap set including connectorsconfigured to secure the strap set around a user positioned in the swingseat.
 13. The swing of claim 1, wherein the back wall portion iscontoured to conform generally to the contour of a user's lower back.14. The swing of claim 1, wherein the bottom wall portion is contouredto conform generally to the contour of a user's rear and legs.
 15. Theswing of claim 1, wherein the side wall portions are spaced apart by afirst generally horizontal distance adjacent the bottom wall portion andare spaced apart by a second generally horizontal distance that isgreater than the first distance at a point vertically spaced from thebottom wall portion.
 16. The swing of claim 1, wherein the front wallportion and the back wall portion are spaced apart by a first generallyhorizontal distance adjacent the bottom wall portion and are spacedapart by a second generally horizontal distance that is greater than thefirst distance at a point vertically spaced from the bottom wallportion.
 17. The swing of claim 1, wherein the swing seat is molded froma plastic having a durometer hardness ranging from about 40 to about 42on the D scale.
 18. The swing of claim 1, wherein the final swing seatshape is achieved without requiring fasteners to secure any portions ofthe swing seat together.
 19. A swing comprising: a swing seat having afront wall portion containing apertures for receiving the legs of auser; a back wall portion contoured to conform generally to the contourof a user's lower back; side wall portions extending between andintegrally connecting the front and back wall portions; and a bottomwall portion extending between and integrally connecting the front,back, and side wall portions, the bottom wall portion being contoured toconform generally to the contour of a user's rear and legs; wherein theswing seat is made of plastic that is injection molded into a finalswing seat shape suitable for receiving a user for swinging; whereineach of the front wall portion, the back wall portion, and the bottomwall portion is free of any reinforcing inserts made from materialdifferent from the plastic; and wherein the swing seat is pliable afterbeing molded into the final swing seat shape such that at least one ofthe wall portions is capable of conforming substantially to the shape ofa portion of a user's body.
 20. The swing of claim 19, wherein the sidewall portions are spaced apart by a first generally horizontal distanceadjacent the bottom wall portion and are spaced apart by a secondgenerally horizontal distance that is greater than the first distance ata point vertically spaced from the bottom wall portion; and wherein thefront wall portion and the back wall portion are spaced apart by a thirdgenerally horizontal distance adjacent the bottom wall portion and arespaced apart by a fourth generally horizontal distance that is greaterthan the third distance at a point vertically spaced from the bottomwall portion.